Bursary Winner 2019

Strata

I am an early career artist who works predominantly with porcelain. Material explorations are informed by observations and reflections of my surrounding environment. And by integrating themes that include care, wounds, and healing, I have connected to my 30 years’ experience as a Registered General Nurse. In 2019 I completed my MA in Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art and I now live and make back in my hometown of Stroud in Gloucestershire.

I consider creativity and care to be inseparable. Experimentation, improvisation, and a curiosity to look for the extraordinary is also embedded in how and why I use clay. I hand build forms that are intricate and detailed but also wild and unruly. I try to push processes and materials to their limits; this leads to a high failure rate and allows the caring and mending to re-emerge. The resulting objects can appear familiar and yet unknown, reminiscent of states of transition, with a thin line between decay and decline or regeneration and rejuvenation. Abject traits of the bodily and of our surrounding environment are reflected within the choice of colour, texture, and the form of each distinct piece, challenging an individual’s understanding of beauty.